Country Cooking of Greece

Greek country cooking is a paradigm for delicious, healthy, real, and simple food. The Greek kitchen boasts more main course vegetable dishes than almost any other cuisine in the Mediterranean. Many of these dishes have that elusive "craveability" factor, the ingredients and techniques that make for vegetables so luscious and comforting that even kids love them.

My own experiences in the Greek country kitchen are rooted in my childhood memories and then, later, on the months I spend every year on Ikaria, a remote island in the eastern Aegean where my family is from and that happens to be a "Blue Zone," one of a handful of places on the planet renowned for the robust longevity of its inhabitants. It is here that I first learned the importance of seasonality, what real food tastes like, fresh from the field or garden, how the profuse use of olive oil and slow, patient cooking together create dishes that are both comforting and wholesome.

But I have traveled widely in the Greek country kitchen, well beyond the rocky shores of Ikaria, and in my travels I've discovered the great wealth of regional Greek specialties and local ingredients, most of which are still terra incognita to an American audience, nutritional and flavor powehouses waiting to be discovered.

In this talk, I will touch on the importance of vegetable cookery in the Greek country kitchen, how it is tied to the seasons and to local customs; I'll talk about regional Greek cuisines and food products and zero in on a handful of cheeses, olives, olive oils, and more, most of which are available Stateside. I will take viewers on a visual journey through the Country Cooking of Greece, share tips and recipes, and introduce a bevy of great Greek products.